Below is a list of the 12 most unusual airport runways in the world , according to CNN.
Barra Airport, Scotland (BRR)
It’s the only place in the world with a runway directly on the beach. There’s only one route: Loganair’s 140-mile (224 km) flight to Glasgow, using a 19-seat de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter. Pilots flying to Barra have to land directly on the sand. Flights have to be aligned with the tide to allow enough space for landing and takeoff. Given these conditions, it’s no surprise that flights are often cancelled.
Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)
Hong Kong built an entire island for its airport, which when it opened also boasted the world’s largest passenger terminal. Built to replace its predecessor (a single runway in crowded Kowloon, famous for its sharp turns during takeoff and landing), HKG is located on the original small island of Chek Lap Kok, now quadrupled in size thanks to land reclaimed to build the two-runway airport.
Don Mueang International Airport, Thailand (DMK)
If you’re a golf enthusiast, then it’s time to tee off in Bangkok, where Don Mueang International Airport has an 18-hole golf course nestled between two runways. If you’re worried about safety, don’t worry – players at Kantarat must go through airport-standard security checks before entering the course. Oh, and you mean safe on a golf course? Just be careful of flying balls, as there are no barriers between the golf course and the runway.
Sumburgh Airport, Scotland (LSI)
The road winds around most of the airport's perimeter, running alongside both runways, but it crosses the western end of one of them. Staff line the road, and before takeoff or landing, they come out to lower a barrier across the road. Once the plane has reached its destination, the barrier is raised and waiting drivers are greeted with a cheer.
Amata Kabua International Airport, Marshall Islands (MAJ)
Majuro's Amata Kabua International Airport in the Marshall Islands gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "landing on water." The airport's sole runway, just under 2,400 meters long, is a flimsy strip of asphalt on sand barely wider than the atoll itself—and the island is so remote that, according to its builders, when the runway was resurfaced, materials had to be shipped in from the Philippines, Hong Kong, and South Korea.
Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport, Italy (GOA)
Genoa is famous for its narrow landmass, where Christopher Columbus set off for the Americas, nestled along near-vertical cliffs, with public lifts and even a funicular railway between districts. While there’s also the Genova Cristoforo Colombo International Airport, where flights take passengers to a challenging landing that looks like it’s about to hit the water until the runway appears under the wheels at the last moment…
Gibraltar International Airport (GIB)
Gibraltar's accessible runway is so famous that even John Lennon and Yoko Ono were photographed here after their wedding in the British overseas territory. Gibraltar's runway, which will handle 3,628 flights by 2024, also serves as a road into the city centre, so you can cross it by scooter, bike or on foot after landing, waving to the planes that have just landed (cars go through the tunnel).
Bora Bora Airport, French Polynesia (BOB)
Bora Bora Airport was built during World War II on a motu, or island in the lagoon, meaning that to get anywhere else in Bora Bora, you need to take a boat from the baggage claim area (there is one pier and three pontoons). Both Air Tahiti and Air Moana operate “BOB” flights, often using ATR42 and ATR72 propeller planes that skim the turquoise waters and land on this magical runway in the middle of the South Pacific . The runway essentially runs the entire length of the islet, before tapering off into perfect white sand.
Kansai International Airport (KIX), Japan
Kansai, the main airport for Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto, is not only located on an artificial island (in fact, it is located on two adjacent artificial islands), but also 5 kilometers off the coast, about 18 meters underwater. Opened in 1994 after 7 years of construction, this airport island has one of the most spectacular runways in the world, and an equally spectacular terminal designed by the famous architect Renzo Piano
Nauru International Airport (INU)
The third smallest country in the world after the Vatican and Monaco, Nauru boasts an airport runway that runs along the southwest coast of the unique island. The airport is lined with closely spaced residential streets, while the coastal road that circles the island forms a distinctive circle around the airport. While the road doesn’t run directly onto the runway, it does intersect at each end, meaning traffic is stopped for landings and takeoffs.
Chubu Centrair International Airport (NGO), Japan
Not content with one fantastic airport on an artificial island, Japan got another in 2005: Chubu, located near the city of Nagoya, whose five-year construction process included the use of “compressed sand piles” driven into the seabed by specialized ships to stabilize the surface.
Velana International Airport (VIA), Maldives
Stretching across Hulhulé, an island near the capital Malé (the two islands are connected by a 2.1km bridge), it’s essentially just a single runway, surrounded by turquoise waters. Even more exciting, you can land by seaplane – the airport opened a new seaplane terminal in 2022 and has no fewer than four water runways alongside the asphalt. Opened in 1966, the Maldivian airport was built on an earlier steel runway, and will get a new 3,350m runway in 2022, strong enough to accommodate an Airbus A380.